Fifa rescue Cuthbert Dube

By Sikhumbuzo Moyo

FIFA have ordered ZIFA to hold an extraordinary meeting of their councillors by June 16 after ruling that the indaba held on Saturday, to oust Association president Cuthbert Dube, was null and void.

FIFA’s reaction was in response to a protest letter sent by Dube to Zurich on Sunday, a day after councillors announced they had ousted him from office.

Yesterday, officers of the FIFA Legal Department met at 12pm Switzerland time to discuss the document that was sent by the councillors to back their move to oust Dube.

It is expected that a decision will be passed soon but complications have arisen at FIFA amid concerns by some officials that if Dube does not attend the world football governing body’s Congress next week, Zimbabwe’s vote could be lost to other candidates.

This has been fuelled by speculation that a ZIFA delegation, which attended a football expo in Jordan recently, led by ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda could have been given funds to help the Association deal with its debt crisis.

However, ZIFA officials who were in Jordan, who include Fungai Chihuri who was ousted in the boardroom coup on Saturday, have denied receiving any funds.

Dube has made it clear that he will vote for Sepp Blatter, the incumbent FIFA president.

Saturday’s meeting also claimed the scalp of board member Tawengwa Hara.

FIFA officials, in a response to Dube’s letter sent on Sunday, said the meeting by the Councillors on Saturday fell short of meeting the conditions set by the ZIFA Constitution.

However, the world football governing body said ZIFA have to organise another extraordinary meeting, by June 16, to give the Councillors a chance to meet their leadership.

Interestingly, the part of the FIFA statement, which orders ZIFA to hold another extraordinary meeting, was deliberately left out of the statement that was circulated by a ZIFA official on Monday night.

“The conditions set in the ZIFA constitution have not been met and the alleged extraordinary congress of 17 May 2015 is thus considered null and void,” a FIFA statement said.

“Pursuant to art. 17 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes, any member’s bodies that have been elected or appointed by the Member shall not be recognised by FIFA. Furthermore art. 17 par. 4 of the FIFA Statutes underlines that decisions passed by bodies that have not been elected or appointed by the Member Association shall not be recognised by FIFA.

“However, and given the fact that the Zifa executive committee has to convene an extraordinary general assembly within three months, if one third of its members makes the request, FIFA recommend that ZIFA hold the extraordinary congress by 16 June 2015, at the latest, in order to comply with the Zifa Constitution.”

The Councillors remained adamant yesterday that this was just delaying the inevitable.

“It is very clear because even if the EGM is held on June 16, we are still going to boot Dube out, make no mistake about that but Blatter would have secured his vote and by then Dube would not be useful anymore to him,” said a councillor.

“The constitution clearly states that the EGM must be held within 90 days not on day number 90 and so why is Fifa setting a date for us.

“Automatically, Sibanda would have gone to the FIFA Congress but the visit to Jordan has made the powers that be in FIFA a bit unease, naturally they would no longer be certain of the Zimbabwean vote hence their strange push to have the EGM after the elective congress.”

Marti said Fifa have taken note of the events which led to the current situation in Zifa and said the mandatory three months had not elapsed.

On March 16, 2015, Councillors petitioned ZIFA calling for an urgent ZIFA extraordinary meeting in terms of Article 28 of the ZIFA Constitution. The agenda was — 2018 World Cup ban by FIFA, an analysis of the ZIFA creditors and the way forward.

On March 27, 2015 Mashingaidze wrote back to the councilors and advised them the items raised on the agenda will be discussed at the annual general meeting set for April 25, 2015, under the ZIFA president’s activity report.

This, in essence, was refusal to call for the EGM by the general secretary as dictated by the constitution.

Five days before the AGM, on 20 April, the Zifa CEO wrote to the Councillors again and advised them that the AGM had been postponed to June 27, 2015.

With the postponement of the AGM the councilors’ request for an EGM would have been held on the 103th day, instead of within 90 days, and that forced the Councillors to hold their meeting.

Yesterday, Mashingaidze wrote to Councillors that the meeting they held on Saturday was null and void.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association hereby informs your esteemed office and person that a meeting, which is said to have been held on the 16th of May 2015 in Harare, was not convened by the Association in terms of the ZIFA Constitution Article 28.

“Any meeting meant to discuss Association football is convened through the General Secretary’s office, which office would co-ordinate all the logistics around transport and accommodation.

“Convening and attending an illegal meeting whose main purpose would be to pass a vote of no-confidence in the leadership brings football into disrepute.

“The Association is still in the process of finding out how many affiliates attended the Meeting (even though Dube told FIFA that 29 Councillors attended the indaba). Please note that FIFA did not sanction the convening of such a meeting as reported in some newspapers and has since declared the meeting null and void.”

Mashingaidze is believed to be fighting in Dube’s corner and some Councillors yesterday said they were considering withdrawing from the Assembly en-bloc to throw the game into a crisis. The Chronicle